tribute of as many years as he had neglected to pay,[108] laden
on his best elephants, and conducted by his son, with his drums,
trumpets, and all the other insignia of state, to his camp. Dewul Roy,
unable to refuse compliance, agreed to the demands, and sent his son
with thirty favourite elephants, loaded with treasure and valuable
effects. The sultan sent some noblemen to meet him; and after being led
in ceremony through the market and great streets of the camp, he was
brought to the presence.[109] The sultan, after embracing, permitted
him to sit at the foot of his throne, and putting on his shoulders a
magnificent robe, and girding him with a sabre set with jewels, gave
him twenty beautiful horses of various countries, a male elephant,
dogs for the chase, and three hawks, which the Carnatickehs were till
then strangers to the use of. He then marched from the environs of
Beejanuggur, and on his arrival on the bank of the Kistnah dismissed
the roy's son and returned to Koolburga."

To form some idea of the date of this cessation of hostilities we must
see what follows in Firishtah's narrative. The historian states that
during the year of the Sultan's return to Kulbarga there was a grievous
famine in the Dakhan, and "the next year also, no rain appearing,
the people became seditious." These two years were probably A.H. 826,
827, extending from 15th December A.D. 1422 to 23rd November 1424. He
continues, "In the year 828" the Sultan marched against Warangal. The
last campaign began about December A.D. 1422; and since we must allow
some months for Ahmad's blockade of Vijayanagar, which resulted in his
reducing the inhabitants to a state of starvation so that the Raya
was compelled to capitulate, the date for the end of the war cannot
be safely placed earlier than the winter of the year A.D. 1423. During
these twelve months, however, there was a famine and failure of rain,
so that the Sultan may have been able to traverse the cotton plains